Female Viagra: Round Two

The New York Times Magazinehas an interesting piece on women with low libido. As researchers revise the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, they admit that around 30 percent of women go through periods of not wanting any sex at all. So is lust something that can be put into a pill? Flibanserin has been hailed as ‘the female Viagra’ but studies show that it the test group taking the drug only had one more satisfying sexual encounter per month than the placebo group. Also, unlike the patch or Viagra, Flibanserin has to be taken daily for weeks to have any effect. For some women who are suffering from lack of desire, the drug could be a great help. But is low sex drive really a ‘mental disorder’? What about all of the women out there who are happy living without sex? Or those whose low desire is a result of an emotionally absent or sexually inept partner? The Times piece points out that sexually starts in the mind…if that’s true, I find it hard to believe you can fix complex emotional issues by popping a pill.